FILE- In a Nov. 12, 2013 file photo, Oakland guard Duke Mondy, left, takes the ball around UCLA guard Bryce Alford during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles. Mondy is among the nation's leaders in steals, reviving a college career that once seemed headed off the rails. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo, File)

Rochester — In lieu of practicing last Friday on the eve of the regular season finale against Youngstown State, Oakland's players and coaches had a lengthy discussion featuring some overdue soul searching.
On the heels of another game that had slipped from their control and ended in defeat, the objective was to identify and hopefully learn to overcome the source of the Golden Grizzlies' season-long late-game struggles.
"We had a long discussion, and what we did was dissect," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "I let every player talk about why they thought this stuff was happening to us. I went around and let everyone have their say in it. And then I told them my feelings on it, but told them that I'm not right; We are all right. We have to understand why it's happening."
The trouble for the Grizzlies has been holding onto leads down the stretch in games. Each of Oakland's last four losses have seen the Grizzlies in the lead by nine or more points during the second half, only to allow their opponent to come from behind to wrestle the game away.
"What came out of (our discussion) was I think we choke up," Kampe concluded. "Nobody wants to be called a choker, but I think we get choked up in those situations and we get there and think we've got to win and we've got to be perfect."
Though it's too soon to proclaim a fix has been found, Oakland rose to the occasion Saturday to close out a much-needed 87-81 win over Youngstown State on the road.
"We weren't perfect and we made some mistakes, but we still played with confidence and we still made plays. We had to define who we are," Kampe said of Saturday's victory, which was significant for the sake of seeding in the Horizon League tournament.
The sixth-seeded Golden Grizzlies (12-19, 7-9) will host the very same Youngstown State team on Tuesday at the O'rena at 7 p.m. for a first-round postseason matchup. It will be the first time Oakland has played a conference tournament game in front a home crowd.
The task of defeating the Penguins in back-to-back contests presents a unique set of circumstances, but Kampe said the raised stakes of the game make for a wholly new mindset where a loss would mark an abrupt end to the season.
"Every game takes on its own meaning," he said. "The pressure is way different. This could be Travis Bader's last 3-pointer he ever makes. I think that changes the game.
Kampe noted the parallels between his squad and Youngstown State (15-16, 6-10), which Oakland defeated in both meetings this season by a combined score of just seven points.
"If we score, they go (at us). If they score, we go (at them). There's a lot of teams in the Horizon that if you score on them, they pout. They walk the ball up the floor and their coach is yelling at them. These teams don't do it. They just go," Kampe said.
The Penguins boast the Horizon League's leading scorer, senior Kendrick Perry, who averages 20.9 points per game, just ahead of Oakland's Bader (20.1). Both players were named First Team all-conference Monday.
"We always had that belief that we could come back home for the first game of the tournament," Bader said, pleased to have the opportunity to put a loss on Senior Night last Thursday out of mind.
"That's the good thing about the Horizon League — the regular season means something. If you win, you're fortunate to play at home or get a bye. It's a blessing to be able to come back here and play another game at the O'rena. Hopefully our fans will come out and support, being here in full effect as they've been this season."